Dementia in Europe magazine, issue 38, February 2022

The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative is one year old

Alzheimer Europe spoke to Drew Holzapfel, Founding Secretary of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), to find out more about the initiative and the work it has done in the year since its inception in January 2021.

Can you tell us a bit more about the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, how it came into being and how it functions?

The idea for developing a global mechanism of action was first raised at the 2019 Lausanne Workshop. It was taken forward at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in 2020, where a diverse group of private-sector executives, government leaders and NGOs came together with a singular goal: How can we mount a global response to Alzheimer’s by orchestrating game-changing solutions to end the suffering, financial burden and stigma around this disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a challenge that recognises no borders, so we knew that our solutions couldn’t either. That’s why the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) is mobilising a global partnership of leading, like-minded organisations to accelerate breakthroughs, develop and scale promising solutions and equip healthcare systems everywhere. Led by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease (CEOi), the DAC is investing over USD 700 million over six years to accelerate innovation in drug development and transform the way healthcare systems detect, diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s for all people in all regions. New paragraph to add here, please:

To date, genetic research has focused overwhelmingly on white Europeans. As a result, we have an incomplete understanding of the heterogeneity of the disease. Better understanding of this will result in new therapeutic targets and precision medicine for Alzheimer’s disease. DAC is funding cohorts globally to make this possible. (see figure 1, p 34)

The DAC was launched at the Davos World Economic Forum Meeting in January 2021. What are some milestones from this first year and what are the future goals?

2021 has been an exciting year for DAC. Most recently, we just concluded our USD 2 million request for proposal for locally-driven project proposals focused on early detection, and received over 70 responses from 21 countries (11 European countries), so we’re looking forward to driving the selected proposals forward in 2022. Other major achievements include:

• The completion of a cross-region, transethnic Polygenic Risk Score pilot that engaged cohorts across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America.

• The securing of participation from 14 cohorts from around the globe.

• The development of a network of over 15 European sites for accelerating studies and implementing novel trial designs, with further opportunities identified across in Africa, East Asia, and Australia.

• The initiation of seven flagship projects in six countries focused on improving healthcare system capacity for early detection – including one in the UK.

DAC is looking forward to furthering its efforts and scaling its impact in 2022. Our activities will focus on:

• Completing our initial genome sequencing in the cohorts;

• Preparing 30 more clinical trial sites in the European Network;

• Hosting Learning Labs alongside major global health forums, including Lausanne IX and the World Health Assembly;

• Laying the groundwork for a flagship project focused on improving Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

The DAC has three main pillars; Global Cohorts, Global Clinical Trials and Healthcare System Preparedness. Can you tell us more about these and why they are focal points?

DAC’s three programmes respond to three key challenges to ending Alzheimer’s disease around the world:

The Global Cohorts programme recognises the need to diversify data to unlock breakthroughs. Scientific discovery starts with high-quality data. But 90% of current genetic analysis comes from just 10% of the world’s population. DAC is building a global cohort of one million people who reflect the disease in all its global diversity to advance understanding of Alzheimer’s among diverse populations. This data will provide the foundation for identifying new biomarkers and developing targeted treatments for people worldwide. In the foundational phase, DAC has engaged cohorts from 26 countries to diversify our understanding of Alzheimer’s and develop targeted treatments.

The Global Clinical Trials programme focuses on the value of linking together the best science to speed up innovation. Progress against Alzheimer’s requires faster, less costly clinical trials. DAC is building a global clinical trial network and a standing, trial-ready technology platform that will link trial sites around the world. This will drive innovation by reducing the time and cost of clinical trials, connecting researchers worldwide and accelerating drug development for people in all communities.

The Healthcare System Preparedness programme responds to the need to prepare today’s healthcare systems to deliver solutions to people everywhere. Innovations only make an impact if they reach the people who need them. DAC is investing in healthcare systems and solution providers to improve rates of early, accurate diagnosis and to ensure healthcare systems worldwide are prepared to deliver new innovations that enter the market.

The DAC has come into being during a global pandemic and public health crisis. Have these challenging circumstances impacted its first steps in any way?

Right now, governments are very focused on the immediate needs of COVID-19 relief, which is a critical effort. However, we need to make sure that we are not ignoring the slower-moving pandemic of Alzheimer’s disease, nor the individuals and families who are currently or who will in the future be impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.

“When it comes to health, the world has demonstrated a tendency to cycle through periods of neglect and panic,” said Dr David Bloom, Professor of Economics and Demography in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, at our recent Lausanne workshop. “We neglect the issues when they’re not immediately imperiling us, then we scramble like mad when they’re in our face. Only to go back into neglect mode when they end. That was our experience with SARS, Ebola and – most recently and prominently – COVID-19. All I can say is: Shame on all of us if we repeat the experience with ADRDs” (Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias).

For more information, visit:

https://www.davosalzheimerscollaborative.org/

inquiry@davosalzheimerscollaborative.org

LinkedIn: davos-alzheimers-collaborative

Figure 1